So we're going to go as far as to say that there are referees that are also into fixing the games so that the Leafs get more penalties. Like not one or two referees, but the entire group of them, across all 82 games?
Come on man. MLB/FBI just found a pitcher who was throwing an extra ball or two to a batter to gain betters a little extra coin. Are we going to pretend that in the last 10 years, there hasn't been a referee, or NHL front office person that would have came forward and called foul? Are we going to pretend that someone else wouldn't have red-flagged this other than desperate fans trying to explain why their team can't win?
You are missing my point. My point isn't that people are "actively" doing this. I am saying it could be a byproduct of something else. It could be a byproduct of too much media attention on the team. It could be a byproduct of the team management not complaining enough. It could be a byproduct of the playstyle that the Leafs employ.
However, even if someone isn't actively doing something, that doesn't mean that it isn't a hurdle that you have to overcome. Someone in Leafs management should be saying "How come Auston Matthews doesn't get as many calls as Connor McDavid?" I think Leaf fans are allowed to ask that question. Just like we are doing now with the injury status of the players. Why can't you tell us when they are going to be back?
Any team that wants to win the cup, and I think that is all of them, they have to look at what they have to overcome in order to get there. Small market teams have to figure out how to build a winning team on a budget. Tax states have to make a competitive offer over non-tax states. Just by saying that the Leafs may have disadvantages imposed on them because of who and what they are, doesn't mean that there aren't disadvantages that other teams need to face.
What bothers me is that the team itself doesn't seem to be doing something to raise these as concerns. I understand that they can't do it publicly or else they get fined, but maybe they need to take to fine at some point and just say "I don't understand what is happening here". For example in last years playoffs this happened in round one:
www.sportsnet.ca
No suspension, no fine, 2 minute penalty and we call it a day. Head shot to an important player on the team. We saw what happened the last time a head shot took this player out. The last time it happened it was an accident. The above was not an accident.
I hope the Leafs did there due diligence, and sent the following two videos to the NHL DPS and said "Explain to me the difference in these plays. Explain to us why our guys got suspended, and there is no supplementary discipline on the other teams player in this case", because if they didn't do that, then they are idiots, because the NHL isn't going to change their minds just because they are the Leafs.
Again, a bias can exist that isn't a conspiracy against a team. It still may be something that needs to be addressed. My original post was incorrect if it made it sound like it put the onus on the NHL to address it.
All I was saying is that even if the Leafs overcome all of their stupid management issues, which I agree fully with you, they have had 60 years of mismanagement, they still have other hurdles that they may have to overcome that are external to just managing the team.
